Best Plex Server: Pre-Built and DIY Options

The Nvidia Shield TV Pro is among the best streaming devices on the market. Its hardware is capable of streaming in 4K from a variety of providers including Netflix. Using the optional Samsung SmartThings Link, the Shield transforms into a smart home hub.

Plus, it’s engineered for gaming, running Android games as well as retro emulators including PlayStation Portable, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, and Wii titles. You can stream games from your PC to the Shield TV using Nvidia GameStream provided you’ve got a compatible GPU.

The Nvidia Shield TV Pro doubles as a Plex server and client. Its hardware handles around two or three simultaneous transcodes. You can mount USB drives and microSD cards as removable storage, and mount network shares. Several antenna options connect with the Shield TV for DVR and live TV in Plex. If you’re using your Shield TV as a Plex server, I suggest opting for the 500GB Pro variant. Even that hard drive is likely to fill up quickly though.

Because of its versatility as a Plex server and client, along with gaming, smart home, and media streaming functionality, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro is the best overall Plex server you can buy.

The Dell PowerEdge T30 features a Xeon E3-1225 v5 processor, which is more than powerful enough for a home Plex machine. You’ll benefit from a 7833 PassMark which should handle just shy of four simultaneous 1080p transcodes.

As configured, it supports four hard drives, but you can add up to six for a range of storage options. The T30 plays well with Linux too making it the ideal dedicated Plex server. Its 280W PSU means you can run the T30 as an always-on server without huge energy costs.

Although it’s certainly not the most powerful device available, a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is a great entry-level option. You can easily turn the Raspberry Pi into an inexpensive Plex server. It’s best for users planning on streaming in-home only, or for a travel Plex server. Try installing Kodi as well for a home theater PC (HTPC) combined with Plex media server functionality.

The Intel NUC 7 Mini PC is compact, but the i5-7260U CPU offers a decent PassMark rating just shy of 6000. With VESA mounting bracket compatibility, you can attach to the back of a TV or monitor.

Unfortunately, storage options are limited to a single 2.5-inch SATA drive or SSD. If you require a lot of storage space, this isn’t the device for you. Moreover, unlike a modular desktop, you can’t upgrade the CPU, just the hard drive and RAM.

As such, it’s not future proof. Nevertheless, it’s a solid option for those seeking an HTPC Plex server. Intel NUCs are small, powerful, and energy efficient.

Best NAS for Plex Options: Plex NAS Devices

While the best Plex server devices come in pre-built and DIY packages, you might consider a Plex NAS set up instead. Network Attached Storage (NAS) differs from a server in that it’s intended as a centralized location for data storage on a network.

Customization and settings are usually more basic than on the average server. Plex NAS options usually come preconfigured—just add hard drives.

If you need a budget Plex NAS, the TerraMaster F4-220 is a great option. It’s powered by a dual-core 2.1GHz CPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and has an HDMI output. This maintains compatibility with software such as Kodi. The device comes bundled with remote control too.

The HDMI port even maintains 7.1 channel compatibility. Like other NAS devices, it’s not cheap, but you’re paying for a quality storage unit that’s simple to set up. When we reviewed the TerraMaster F2-220TerraMaster F2-220 NAS ReviewTerraMaster F2-220 NAS ReviewThe F2-220 2-bay NAS enclosure by TerraMaster is a sub-$200 personal backup and storage solution. It has a dual core Intel CPU, and can handle up to 16TB of storage.Read More (functionally similar to the F4-220, but with two bays rather than four) we found it to be a rock solid performer and is perfect for Plex and more.

The Best Server and NAS Options for Plex

Ultimately, there are loads of potential Plex server options. I suggest using server hardware rather than a NAS. You’ll get a more powerful system for less money, and it’s upgradeable.

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Nigel Burrell

January 9, 2019 at 9:44 pm

There's plenty of Plex local server options... but I’m trying to find a portable Plex Media Server solution when travelling with my Oculus GO VR Headset as I want to stream 4k movies on the go.

What I’ve discovered so far is…

1. The Nvidia Shield is a highly recommended streaming box, and doubles as a Plex Server and Client, but can it be used as a portable Plex Media Server on the road (without an Internet connection)? It seems to be a home network-only solution.

2. The WD My Passport Wireless with PMS built-in seems like a great portable solution, but I’ve held back getting this as there’s lots of users complaining about the product’s reliability and ease of use.

I have Plex Media Server installed on my laptop and I don’t mind taking the laptop with me on my travels. However, I’ve not found a way of connecting my Oculus Go to PMS on my laptop, unless I’m connected to the internet. But I’m not always in a location where Internet is available and/or very slow Internet speeds in a hotel.

Does anyone know how to connect my Oculus Go to PMS on my laptop without an internet connection?

Given how Plex decided to discontinue support for channels/plugins, and how they messed up the Roku client, personally, if I can get my money back that I paid for the lifetime access, I would move away in no time.
That's a decision that would probably make them lose a lot of their users.
A lot of not happy, angry and disappointed posts on their forum about that change.

I am considering building a Kodi server on Raspberry PI and drop Plex from my home network.

We've been using Plex for at least a year and love it. To begin, You might want to better distinguish the two core types of users. There are those people which are playing media direct from a device (such as a PC or NUC, or NAS) via hdmi or dvi to an auxiliary channel on a monitor or TV and then those folks who are just wanting to run Plex on a smart TV via an app. The first scenario requires a video GPU, the second does not. The second method, which we exclusively use, has several options available.

For us, the easiest and quickest way to use Plex was to first download and configure the Plex app on one of our old desktop PC's, a first generation i7 940 on an x58 mobo. Our media is scattered over several drives, but the main is actually an external 1TB SATA II connected to the PC via USB...not even via a SATA cable! (We will soon change that though). When first setting things up we downloaded/installed the Plex app on our PC, then our Living room Vizio 55" TV as well our 32" Samsung bedroom TV. The media data is transferred to the TVs via CAT 5 cable...the bedroom being at least 50ft from our networking switch. So in our case, the TVs and apps are handing the video, NOT the PC video card (unless it somehow helps internally..I don't know).

Interestingly, both Plex apps (via Vizio or Samsung) are pretty different and we found comment ground in using a Roku with each TV as it too has a Plex app, a very good one. So to wrap up, there are certainly a lot of ways to skin this cat. Our old PC is plugged in direct to our router and then we can feed one or more TVs via the switch. We've never had an issue, aside from learning how to best set-up the library hirearchy. We usually only stream to one TV at a time but there are occasions when we have both going and it seems that our vintage i7 has held up well. Lastly, the only issue regularly experienced is having to wake up the PC. If it goes to sleep the Plex app will say that it cannot find the server.

Ian Buckley started out with a degree in Music composition, before devoting his time to DIY tech and coding. He now works as a freelance journalist, performer and video producer living in Berlin, Germany. When he's not writing or on stage, he's tinkering with DIY electronics or code in the hope of becoming a mad scientist.